A loud train rushed by, forcing Tessa to wait before responding.

“What do you mean talk to him? Did you have an interview lined up or something?”

“Not exactly,” said Daphne, with a small grimace. “But I was working on it. Look, if you don’t think it’s worth uncovering Senator Darling’s and his party’s possible ties to religion, that’s fine. But think on this. Senator Darling’s shown a lot of favors to your friend Dr. March. If you were hiding secret religious membership, wouldn’t it be a smart thing to be on the good side of a servitor if things go bad?”

Tessa gaped, thinking of friendly, open Lucian, who was always so kind to her when he came over. “You think he’s using Justin?”

“Not yet. But a politician like Darling has to think ahead. If he got outed for being in a cult—”“—by someone like you,” interrupted Tessa.

“Or by anyone,” said Daphne, “then having a servitor in your pocket would be very handy for damage control. A servitor going on record and stating that you weren’t a threat or even disavowing your religious involvement would save a future consul’s career. Don’t you think Dr. March should know the truth—that the reason the senator pays him these visits and gives internships to his friends is so that your friend and benefactor will be obligated to help in a cover up someday?”

“I thought Lucian did all this stuff because they were friends,” insisted Tessa, though she could hear the doubt in her own voice. “And because Lucian likes Mae.”

Rufus looked up sharply at that. “What do you mean ‘likes’ her?”

“If that’s all there is, then great,” said Daphne mysteriously. “But wouldn’t you like to know for sure?”

She refused to say anything more about it after that and simply let Tessa’s own ruminations run wild. Down at North Prime’s main office, they had boxes of hidden microphones available for checkout, and Daphne soon had Tessa ready to record. In the meantime, Tessa sent Nico Cassidy a message saying her schedule had cleared and she wanted to attend the day’s meeting. He wrote back right away, expressing his delight and welcoming her to join them.

The Citizens Party owned a suite of offices in a secure downtown high rise, and it was here that the YCC held their meetings. It didn’t take Tessa long to figure out how things worked. There were student political groups all over the country, but this one, directly run by the Citizens Party, consisted of handpicked individuals from a demographic similar to Tessa’s classmates. They came from money and families with connections. Most didn’t have freeform schooling like her, however, so they had meetings outside of classes that gave them lots of photo ops and provided good references for future academic and work applications.

Dr. Cassidy, as it turned out, ran the student meetings only about a third of the time and usually left them to an assistant of his, a young aide named Acacia. He was there today, however, and all smiles for Tessa. “Welcome,” he said, guiding her inside a conference room.

“We’re so glad to have you here.”

She cast a fleeting look at Rufus, waiting just outside the door, more because she’d gotten used to him for mental security than anything else. Facing this group alone was suddenly like reliving any of her past failed first days of school. There were two dozen other students gathered around tables in the room, all watching with bright eyes and questionably sincere smiles. Dr. Cassidy introduced her to them, earning surprised looks, and assured them they’d get a chance to ask her questions later. First, he let Acacia start them off in their regular business, giving Tessa a moment to relax and observe.

The YCC had two big projects coming up. One was a fundraising concert geared toward young constituents. It involved a well-known local band and had the dual goals of both raising money for the Citizens Party and spreading awareness of its candidates and policies to those in attendance. The group’s other big endeavor was aimed toward handing out electronic pamphlets when the election grew closer in the fall.

Paper was a rarity in the RUNA, but canvassers could stand on designated street corners and transfer information about various people and causes to the egos of consenting passers-by.

Tessa watched as the group set to their tasks with genuine enthusiasm. There was some talk that Lucian might be able to stop by the concert and speak, which was setting many of the YCC’s members—especially its female ones—aflutter with excitement.

Lucian’s youth and strong opinions were hugely appealing, and the hero worship he inspired was an almost palpable thing. One girl politely tried to involve Tessa by asking if she knew who Lucian was, and Tessa suddenly found herself the center of attention when she admitted to having met him multiple times, in a home setting.

“You’re so lucky,” said another girl. “If he came to my house, I’d be like, I don’t know. I’d totally pass out or something!”

Others agreed, and while Tessa hadn’t had quite that reaction to meeting Lucian, she suddenly recognized an opportunity for herself.

You’re a smart girl, Daphne had said. You’ll know what to look for and what to say. Tessa put on an adoring smile. “I know! When he came over that first time, I couldn’t even get two words out. I just stopped and stared.” Encouraged by the others’ expressions, she added, “If we’d had someone like him in Panama, we’d have made him king or something!”

They loved that, and Dr. Cassidy used it as a chance for the others to engage Tessa in conversation about her background, bringing up a line of questioning she was well familiar with. Knowing what was hoped of her, she made a point to emphasize how amazing everything in the RUNA was compared to the provinces. She also made a point to highlight those Gemman issues that were of particular relevance to the Citizens Party’s beliefs. She saw that pleased Cassidy and Acacia, but knew Lucian was still the big draw for the others.

“You’re so lucky,” said another girl. She lit up with inspiration.

“You should join us—like on a regular basis. It’s only right, since you’re a family friend and all.”

A guy who was chairing the concert committee and had hair styled suspiciously like Lucian’s nodded in agreement. “We’d love to have you help at the concert. It’s a lot of work—but it’s a lot of fun too.”

For a moment, Tessa was too flustered to respond, and it had nothing to do with the fact that she hadn’t really planned on doing much with the YCC beyond this meeting. The remarkable thing here was that she couldn’t ever remember receiving such a warm social welcome. She never would’ve thought to find it amongst a group of elite students hoping to pad their resumes with political connections.

Dr. Cassidy smiled at her and the others, mistaking her silence for shyness.

“Now, now, let’s not pressure Tessa on her first day. I know she has a lot of other things going on.” He glanced at the time. “Now would be a good chance to discuss current issues and what’s been going on in the news.”

Everyone took out their egos and began looking up the day’s headlines. “The New Republic party wants to make some cuts to the ration program,” said one boy disapprovingly. “They say it’ll cut taxes and can be fed back to the employment program—but of course they’d say that.”

The group tackled the issues, and Tessa listened with interest. She was impressed that Dr. Cassidy and Acacia attempted to discuss the reasoning of opposing sides, but ultimately, the group resolved every topic in a way that aligned with the Citizens Party’s principles. No one seemed to expect her to participate—until they reached the last topic of the day: a recent push by religious freedom lobbyists to lighten restrictions and regulations on those who wanted to openly worship.

Although the Citizens Party had been courted by said lobbyists, Tessa knew they had no official position yet and was surprised when Dr. Cassidy turned toward her.

“Panama has freedom of religion, doesn’t it?”

Tessa flinched at the unexpected shift in attention. “I suppose so. I mean, there’s no real law for or against it. People just do it. Or don’t.”

“And has chaos resulted?” he asked mildly.

Tessa thought of her homeland, with its armed gangs and puppet government. “Not from religion.”

“But it’s still a much less advanced place socially and technologically,” argued one girl. “We can’t rule out that the pervasiveness of religion in that society plays a rule in it not being up to our level. No offense, Tessa.”

“And,” added someone else. “We know from our own history that warring religions create disaster. That’s where the Decline came from.”

“That’s the thing,” said Tessa, surprising herself. “In Panama, there aren’t really competing religions. Those who belong to one are usually Catholic.”

“Interesting point,” said Dr. Cassidy. “So what do you all think? Could religion be more openly practiced—if there was just one unifying faith and not a bunch of squabbling?”

“Arcadia does that,” said a boy sitting near Tessa. “And they’re not really a model country.”

“How would you determine which religion is superior anyway?”

This was the girl who’d claimed she would’ve passed out if Lucian came to her house. “And we’re not like Panama or Arcadia. There are tons of little religions here—all kept in check by the servitor’s office. If you lifted the restrictions, would one emerge superior? Or would they all just start fighting for control?”

“This is a different era,” someone insisted. “Our society is advanced and civilized enough that people could freely believe without us degenerating into chaos.”

“Tessa,” interjected Dr. Cassidy. “Did you belong to a religion in Panama? Did you get something out of it?”

It was a surprising question, one she hadn’t been asked before.

“Yes, I did. I still do, I suppose. As for what I get out of it . . . I mean, there’s comfort in knowing there’s a higher power looking after you.

That there’s a meaning to everything we do.” Those were dangerous words in the RUNA, and she suddenly wondered if she might lose all her good will.

“Yes, but how do you know?” insisted the guy by her. “What proof is there that your god is out there looking after you? Do you see miracles? Answered prayers?”

She shook her head. “Most of it’s taken on faith.”

“I need miracles,” he insisted. The mood lightened as he flashed the others a grin. “Give me a god who shows some power, and I’ll be right out there with those lobbyists.”

Dr. Cassidy laughed as well, though Tessa could sense a controlled quality to it. “Well, if those lobbyists gain traction, we’ll know who to appoint to the head of the outreach committee, eh, Laurence?”

More laughter followed, and an end was called to the meeting. The others gathered things and stood to leave. Tessa wondered if she might be able to slip out quietly, but it was Dr. Cassidy who held her back, rather than any of Lucian’s fan club.

“I wanted to thank you for taking the time to come today. I’m sure it’s a bit overwhelming, but I think you offered the others some very useful information.”

“I learned just as much as them.” She nearly made a polite farewell, but Daphne’s words came back to her, about how Lucian might be using Justin in case a religious agenda went bad. Putting on what she hoped was a starry, provincial expression, Tessa said, “I never thought much about religion in the RUNA. I haven’t really been involved with it since coming here. No church or anything. Just my own prayers. I haven’t really felt like it’s right for me to go out openly anywhere.”

“I’m sure those prayers are still very meaningful,” he replied.

“Do you think religion could be more openly practiced here?” she asked. “By important people? Not just a minority?” The brazenness of her question unnerved her, but she tried to remember what Daphne had said about how people might not be surprised by an uncouth provincial girl’s bluntness. Feeling bold, she added, “I mean, the Citizens Party is still listening to those lobbyists, so you must see some potential, right?

And I know Senator Darling wouldn’t consider anything harmful to the country.”

“Senator Darling wants all citizens heard, certainly,” said Dr. Cassidy. He was careful not to commit on anything in the religion issue, Tessa noticed, but he didn’t seem displeased by her comments. “It’s a complex matter, one we’re considering from all sides.”

Tessa nodded eagerly. “Oh, I’m sure. That’s what I love about being here in the RUNA. So many sides and opinions get listened to.

It’s such an amazing country that offers those kinds of opportunities to its citizens. You’re all very lucky.” She added a note of wistfulness into her voice, hoping to make her act convincing, but it achieved more than expected.

“Would you like to be a citizen someday?” he asked.

“I . . . I haven’t thought about it,” she said, caught a little off guard. “Mostly I’ve just been focusing on my education.”

“Of course, of course, but if you’ll forgive my saying so . . . I don’t know how much use you’ll get out of it in Panama. But if you stay here, Creative Minds could launch you into an outstanding university, and then . . .” Dr. Cassidy spread his hands magnanimously.

“Well, who knows what? Your possibilities are endless.”